Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito start this episode by laughing uncontrollably at each other's silly jokes before they bring on Jim Zub to talk about all of the awesome D&D things he is doing this year. And there is A LOT! From the Rick & Morty vs. D&D trade omnibus that's now in stores to the Young Adventurer's Guides he is writing to get young readers into the concepts behind playing D&D, plus all the unannounced things... There are four coming out this year, the first two Warri...
Mar 14, 2019•1 hr 27 min
They're back! The snows are gone, and Greg and Shelly finally return to the podcast studio! With Ghosts of Saltmarsh finally announced, Kate Welch joins the fun to talk through this seafaring adventure. But first, Kate kicks off the new Random Character Generator segment, creating a random character using D&D Beyond. Who exactly is Theramar? And what kind of patron does a tortle warlock serve? Here's a guide to when each segment on the podcast begins: 00:00: Intro with Greg Tito & Shelly...
Mar 07, 2019•1 hr 46 min
The god-like presence of actor Matthew Lillard and his gaming group partner-in-crime Bill Rehor stopped by the studio to talk to Shelly and Greg about Beadle & Grimm's Pandemonium Warehouse newest offering. Coming off of the recent announcement of the new adventure book coming from D&D, Beadle & Grimm's will be releasing a Sinister Silver edition of the adventure. Matt and Jon also joke about the Shaggy memes, what they learned from last year's Waterdeep: Dragon Heist Platinum Editio...
Feb 28, 2019•1 hr 15 min
The podcast is coming from inside the house! Once more, our hosts are buried under Seattle snow and recording this episode from their homes. Kelli Butler, aka The Opera Geek, joins them to talk about how to be a real-life bard as well as infusing bardic inspiration into all classes. In Lore You Should Know, Chris Perkins discusses history "across the pond" at TSR's UK offices. Here's a guide to when each segment on the podcast begins: 00:00: Intro with Greg Tito & Shelly Mazzanoble 05:44: Lo...
Feb 21, 2019•1 hr 29 min
Braving the snow and ice from Seattle's strange wintry storms, Greg and Shelly run this podcast remotely! Their guest this week: Michael Mallen, Ph.D. a licensed psychologist who has been writing about Dungeons & Dragons and other gaming topics from a psychological perspective since 2011. Then in Lore You Should Know: Chris Perkins treks through the snow to Shelly's house to discuss sahuagin, the devils of the deep. Here's a guide to when each segment on the podcast begins: 00:00: Intro with...
Feb 14, 2019•1 hr 27 min
It's birthday day on Dragon Talk! Happy Birthday Shelly! The amazing cartographer Deven Rue joins Greg & Shelly on her own birthday to talk about how she got started making maps (Hint: It has to do with D&D!), how she thinks about creating maps for Dungeon Masters, and her general awesomeness. Lore You Should Know - Mike Mearls jumps in to tell us about his thoughts about the Greyhawk setting! Here's a guide to when each segment on the podcast begins: 00:00: Intro with Greg Tito & Sh...
Feb 07, 2019•1 hr 54 min
Two extremely funny people are on this episode and we don't mean Greg and Shelly. Comedians Dan Telfer & Blaine Capatch from the Nerd Poker podcast call in from sunny L.A. to talk through how the podcast began all the way back in 2012, what the new campaign is like, and what kind of a DM Dan is. Sage Advice: Jeremy Crawford returns to talk about bonus action timing and all the fun that entails! Here's a guide to when each segment on the podcast begins: 00:00: Intro with Greg Tito & Shell...
Jan 31, 2019•1 hr 48 min
The return of Shelly Mazzanoble in the introduction is immediately felt when we talk about the Bachelor and D&D before setting up the rest of the segments. As for the interview, it's hard to be aware of the medium of comic books and not realize the effect Fiona Staples has had in the last decade. She has won multiple Eisner, Harvey, and Hugo awards for the series called Saga, a mature galaxy-spanning mashup of science-fiction & fantasy. Greg Tito and guest host Satine Phoenix interview F...
Jan 24, 2019•1 hr 30 min
Dragon Talk returns with guest hosts Satine Phoenix & Tanya DePass joining Greg Tito chatting it up before Satine and Greg bring on JP McDaniel (@itmejp) & Max Gonzalez (@gassymexican) to talk about the big milestone episode coming up for their long-running D&D liveplay show on @RollPlay, Court of Swords! 100 episodes is nothing to sneeze at, and we discuss how the show came about, what's it's like morphing a show through such a long history, and how Max's half-orc Berg has emerged a...
Jan 17, 2019•2 hr 12 min
Happy Holidays everyone! Shelly and Greg speak to James D'Amato, founder of one Shot RPG studio and podcast network in Chicago. Greg takes a moment to thank the listeners for sticking around all year long! For Lore You Should Know on what's becoming a tradition, we go back to a segment recorded in 2016 on the holidays and calendars of the Forgotten Realms. Here's a guide to when each segment on the podcast begins: 00:00: Intro with Greg Tito & Shelly Mazzanoble 09:30: A Word of Thanks, from ...
Dec 21, 2018•1 hr 20 min
It's not often you get to talk to fan of Dungeons & Dragons who also happens to be involved in governing at the state level. Steve Hobbs is a State Senator and he splits sessions at the Capitol building in Olympia with D&D sessions with his friends. He is the co-founder of OrcaCon, a budding convention in Bellevue, and even has a podcast of his own called Geeks of Cascadia. Shelly and Greg talk to Steve about the wonders of D&D and how he's proposing laws and policies that can benefi...
Dec 14, 2018•1 hr 28 min
Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos have been playing D&D together for years, writing intricate backstories they shared only with other members of their group. They decided to channel that love of cooperative storytelling - and their experience editing books - to work in authoring their own fantasy tale together in a unique way. Greg and Shelly may have author envy. LYSK - Chris Perkins returns to discuss Lost Terrors of the Deep, D&D monsters from the sea. Here's a guide to when each se...
Dec 06, 2018•1 hr 28 min
Behind every great game designers is… D&D. Rob Daviau, creator of the Legacy type of board game, calls in to speak to Greg and Shelly about where his career in games began: July 1981 with his first session of D&D. He then discusses how legacy games in which you play a series of board game sessions and change the components and rules over time was inspired by the storytelling of a continuous D&D campaign. There is also some talk of Betrayal Legacy, the latest game from Avalon Hill tha...
Nov 29, 2018•1 hr 42 min
It should make sense that improv comedians have jumped into playing D&D but it's one of those things we need to speak to performers to really understand. Justin Michael and Eric Martin are two such performers and they essentially Dungeon Mastered an original Audible series of comedians telling a crazy story about the movie-popcorn butter capital of Northern California. The plot points were outlined but all of the performances and details were improvised, not unlike how D&D sessions unfol...
Nov 19, 2018•1 hr 26 min
We at Dragon Talk believe the children are our future. We plan to teach them well and let them lead the way by reading them the amazing children's books – The ABCs of D&D and The 123s of D&D – out everywhere now. Author Ivan Van Norman & illustrator Caleb Cleveland join hosts Greg Tito & Shelly Mazzanoble for a fun interview detailing their experiences introducing D&D to their kids, what the challenges were putting the books together and important parenting advice by Shelly. ...
Nov 15, 2018•1 hr 47 min
Most Dungeon Masters are happy with a satisfying end to a story arc in 20-30 sessions of play as a description for a long-running campaign, but Robert Wardhaugh puts that all to shame with his epic storytelling that has continued non-stop for more than 36 YEARS. We check in with Robert since Shelly and Greg spoke to him about 18 months ago on what's happened in the story, how he juggles so many active players, and his methods for keeping the stakes high through family lines. Plus, a little late ...
Nov 08, 2018•1 hr 30 min
Bluejay is a veteran streamer on Twitch and she came to the studio to speak to hosts Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito about the rise of D&D streaming, and what D&D fans can expect at TwitchCon 2018. Watch all the games and panels live this weekend (Oct 26-28) on twitch.tv/dnd. In Lore You Should Know just in time for Halloween next week, Chris Perkins goes in depth on other domains of dread besides Barovia. Here's a guide to when each segment on the podcast begins: 00:00: Intro with Greg ...
Oct 25, 2018•1 hr 25 min
D&D has an iconic look and feel that's developed over the 44 year history of the brand. Authors Michael Witwer, Sam Witwer, Jon Peterson and Kyle Newman call in to talk to Greg and Shelly about their extensive research, their D&D collections, and which D&D class each of them assume in the party of authors behind this book. (Jon is the magic-user.) Art & Arcana is available everywhere now – including a collector's edition with special goodies & covers designed by Hydro74. In L...
Oct 23, 2018•1 hr 59 min
There are tons of fans of D&D who approach the game in different ways. Two of them are doing something cool in the Chicago area by bringing the love of well-roasted coffee beans and gaming together with the Initiative Coffee Company. Brian Thomas and LaTia talk with Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito about their love of D&D, running events at public spaces, and their experience working with Holly Conrad to release Strix's Snickety Snooks coffee beans to raise support for Anxiety Gaming. htt...
Oct 18, 2018•1 hr 33 min
Years ago, Chris Perkins brought in Matthew Mercer to talk through the story that become Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, and hosts Shelly Mazzanoble & Greg Tito brought both of them into the studio to discuss that whole process. Along the way, Matt dishes on stuff he's doing with a little show called Critical Role, what it was like at the Stream of Many Eyes, and the feedback these two high-level Dungeon Masters sometimes endure. In Lore You Should Know, Chris Perkins details what's happening in Un...
Oct 09, 2018•1 hr 43 min
Friends of the show, Wolfgang Baur and Meagan Maricle from Kobold Press, come back to discuss all of the fun monsters available in the Creature Codex. Many monsters are described, and we hear a bunch about the process Wolfgang and Meagan go through when designing, editing and publishing a book like this. In Lore You Should Know, Ari Levitch returns to discuss the Izzet League and the Simic Combine, two of the guilds featured in the Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica. Here's a guide to when each segm...
Oct 04, 2018•1 hr 41 min
Who thought chocolate and peanut butter would go together so well? Authors Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind) and Jim Zub (Avengers, Legends of Baldur's Gate comics) call in to talk about their four-issue series pitting the characters of the popular animated show against the wonders of D&D lore and mechanics. "Two Cool Hosts" Greg Tito and Shelly Mazzanoble drop a whole bunch of bombs in their semi-professional opening. Speaking of mixing chocolate & PB, we have a special Lore You S...
Sep 27, 2018•1 hr 48 min
It's always great to speak with Bob. The creator of Drizzt Do'Urden and many of the most iconic characters in the Forgotten Realms called in to speak with Greg and Shelly about the latest book featuring the drow from down under. Lore You Should Know: Chris Perkins prepares for the fall season by letting us know all about vampires in Waterdeep which you can add to your Waterdeep: Dragon Heist campaign. Here's a guide to when each segment on the podcast begins: 00:00: Intro with Greg Tito & Sh...
Sep 20, 2018•1 hr 11 min
Game designer and author extraordinaire Matt Forbeck calls in to Dragon Talk to discuss the new series of four pick-your-path Endless Quest books he wrote which are out now in stores everywhere! Each of the four books have a protagonist that's one of D&D's iconic classes (Fighter, Wizard, Rogue or Cleric). Endless Quest allows readers young and old to choose which direction the story goes & they are chock full of D&D lore from the last few adventures. Hosts Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg...
Sep 13, 2018•1 hr 22 min
We get the skinny on all things Waterdeep: Dragon Heist from writer Chris Perkins and art director Kate Irwin including the inspiration for the cute little urchins depicted in four two-page art spreads in the book. Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is in game stores on Friday, September 7 – TOMORROW! - grab it & start playing in the City of Splendor! The adventure will be out everywhere on September 18. To get into the swing of the story, check out Podcast of Waterdeep on the Dungeon Delve RSS feed – ...
Sep 06, 2018•1 hr 22 min
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is coming to game stores on Sept. 7 and to celebrate we have Victoria Rogers & Josh Perault on to discuss Podcasts of Waterdeep, ten episodes of a continuous story recorded by artist from the D&D liveplay community. Victoria, DM of the Broadswords, and Josh, from the Taking Initiative podcast, teamed up to outline this storyline you will be able to download from the Dungeon Delve RSS starting on September 10. Learn about Podcast of Waterdeep at dnd.wizards.com/pow...
Aug 30, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Speaking with the folks behind digital games who are inspired by D&D is always such a joy and Arnie Jorgensen and Alex Thomas from Stoic Studio were no different. Alex and Arnie have just shipped their latest installment of The Banner Saga, finishing up a trilogy of tactical storytelling RPGs set in a world inspired by the Norse. Shelly Mazzanoble was not around for this interview, sadly, but she and Greg Tito introduce this segments with usual banter and musical performances. In LYSK, Chris...
Aug 24, 2018•1 hr 20 min
It's the triumphant return of Shelly Mazzanoble (@shellymoo) to Dragon Talk! She returns to help Greg Tito (@gregtito) introduce the interview he did with Surena Marie and Brandon Stennis, two of the cast-members from Rivals of Waterdeep. They discuss what it was like at the Stream of Many Eyes, how the group formed, and playing D&D for the first time. Lore You Should Know: Chris Perkins explains all about the Bregan D'aerthe, a faction of drow led by Jarlaxle Baenre. Here's a guide to when ...
Aug 16, 2018•1 hr 26 min
Syrinscape is an awesome tool for Dungeon Masters to add sound effects and music to their game with a simple-to-use interface. Benjamin Loomes and Jenny Bendel stop by the office to record some voices for the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist sound pack coming to Syrinscape on September 7, and we pulled them into our studio to talk about developing Syrinscape, being a Wizards employee back in the day, and opera singing. In Lore You Should Know: Where do mind flayers come from? Chris Perkins lets us all kn...
Aug 08, 2018•1 hr 22 min
Alex Kammer is a longtime D&D fan and collector, and he also just happens to be the founder of GameholeCon, co-owner of True Dungeon and an incredibly nice person. He called in to speak to Shelly and Greg about their recent trip to Origins Game Fair, what the Game Hole actually is, and Alex's collection of all TSR products in the original shrink wrap. WHAT? In an extended segment of Sage Advice, Jeremy Crawford (managing editor and lead rules designer for D&D) takes a slew of user-submit...
Aug 02, 2018•2 hr 8 min
